If you browse through issue 92 of The Climber magazine from the NZAC, you will see some wintry landscapes and action shots of mine. This shot was taken whilst guiding the South Ridge of Elie de Beaumont, one of the classic 3000m peaks on the main divide.
Elie de Beaumont sits at the head of the Tasman Glacier and offers great views into the West Coast glaciers, the Tasman Sea and the Malte Brun range and beyond to the east. It's climbing season is usually short lived due to the heavily crevassed and broken Anna Glacier.
We had come to climb the nearby Walter Peak (directly behind to the left) via a more difficult line, but when we reached the foot of the climb there was too much hang fire (ice ready to fall) coating the rocks.
The route hadn't seen sun for a few days and it would need to offload some of the cookies before we could attempt the route. The access to Elie was in good condition, despite having weak crevasse bridges and we enjoyed summiting in exceptional conditions.
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